The Social Democratic Party (SPD) has proposed a new answer to people complaining about wind farms in Germany: offering money to those willing to live near them. "Those people who accept windmills in their neighborhood, and so make the expansion of renewable energy possible, should be rewarded," SPD environment spokesman Matthias Miersch told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper.

Impact on People Energy Policy Germany

Alex Salmond hailed it as a green revolution that would create clean energy and more jobs. But wind farms are now raking in more public cash than ever before – for not generating electricity at all.

General UK

Kildare County Council has refused planning permission to Statkraft Ireland Ltd to build Drehid Wind Farm. The decision was announced on December 19 2019.

General Ireland

The acquisition of sole control over certain assets belonging to Senvion of Germany by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy of Spain complies with EU Merger Regulation, the European Commission has said.

General Europe Germany

The acquisition of sole control over certain assets belonging to Senvion of Germany by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy of Spain complies with EU Merger Regulation, the European Commission has said.

General Germany Europe

Noise from wind energy developments will now be subject to a limit of five decibels above existing background noise up to a maximum permitted noise limit of 43 decibels, day or night. This is a tightening of the 2006 noise standards in line with the most up-to-date, best international standards.

General Ireland

The Irish Wind Energy Association has criticised proposed new rules for onshore wind farm development, claiming it will be "more difficult and more expensive" to construct projects under the plans. The rules would see new standards for noise, mandatory community consultations, a minimum setback distance of 500 metres from any residential property in the vicinity of a new development, and other measures.

General Ireland

The customers who were able to pop on a middle-of-the-night laundry load could have earned a renewables windfall of between 1p and 5p for every kWh of electricity they used, rather than spending double this rate to run appliances for only a few hours later.

Energy Policy UK

A 32-meter high toppled over Sunday night in Jorwert, Friesland, while a weather warning for strong winds was in effect. Though it was initially reported to the fire department as a possible case of storm damage, authorities told broadcaster NOS the cause is still under investigation.

Safety Structural Failure Europe

This is the second time in six years that a wind turbine has fallen over in Friesland, the spokesperson says. According to Omrop Fryslân, the windmill was blown down by the wind.

Safety Structural Failure Europe

On Friday, Mr Justice Simons said the developer was precluded by law from re-agitating the argument that the as built turbines are authorised by a 2011 planning permission. The developer had a full opportunity to make its case before the board and it did not challenge the decision they were not exempt under Section 5 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, he said. The developer could not, therefore, reopen the board’s findings in the High Court proceedings. 

Legal Zoning/Planning Ireland

Yesterday, the firm’s partners Muirburn Energy held a drop-in session in the village hall to unveil rejigged plans to erect seven 4.2 megawatt turbines on the same site. The blade-tip height of the turbines has been cut from 139 metres to 125 metres while they have been set back further from both the A836 and the coastline.

General UK

The predicted cost of decommissioning the UK’s offshore wind farms has already risen to about £4 billion, the audience heard at a conference in St Andrews yesterday.

General UK

He and his neighbors demanded the operators shut down their turbines from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. He also joined a 500-strong protest group that stopped the wind farm from being replaced by taller, more modern turbines. Still, the 69-year-old feels the wind farm is keeping him from enjoying his retirement in peace. Depending on where the sun is positioned, the shade of one of the rotating turbines falls on his house. He says it is very unsettling.

Impact on Landscape Impact on People Germany

The Supreme Court has upheld a ruling that a district council acted unlawfully when, in granting planning permission for a wind turbine, it took into account a proposed donation to a local community fund. ..."they were proffered as a general inducement to the Council to grant planning permission and constituted a method of seeking to buy the permission sought, in breach of the principle that planning permission cannot be bought or sold." 

Legal Zoning/Planning UK

Objector David Craig said local people are furious about what they claim is a democratic ‘outrage’. The two schemes were the subject of a public local inquiry which attracted hundreds of objections and a 1,500-strong petition. Scottish Ministers approved the application by Infinergy and Boralex at Limekiln but rejected the 17-turbine scheme lodged by Drum Hollistan Renewables LLP.

General UK

Mr Schulz insisted his resistance to wind farms had nothing to do with climate change denial or aesthetic appeal. The problem, he argued, was that Germany had shifted its energy mix towards renewables — at great financial cost — without enhancing security of supply or achieving a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions. “The damage done by these wind installations is out of all proportion to the benefit,” he said. ... “The more turbines are built, the more people come into contact with them and the more people will resist.” 

General Germany

In a panel discussion during POWERGEN Europe/ European Utility Week 2019, Vestas Group Senior Vice President, Morten Dyrholm said that the world should be outraged the there is so much pushback against renewable energy even as the technology is now cost-competitive with fossil fuels.

General Europe

German wind turbine maker Nordex (NDXG.DE) fell further into the red in January-September, it said on Wednesday, while its negative free cash flow nearly doubled due to increased investments in rotor blade production in Mexico and Spain.

General Germany

A wind farm developer has scaled back plans for a turbine extension in Moray following community feedback.

General UK